Details of Sig Sauer’s P320 “Voluntary Upgrade Program”

We’ll leave the discussion of Sig Sauer’s P320 issues, differences between the military contract pistols and those sold to consumers, the “I Told You Sos,” “What Were They Thinkings,” and the Recall vs Upgrade debates to our readers in the comments section below and on the GunLink Forums. There are now plenty of videos and discussions going on around the internet that most people by now know that the Sig Sauer P320 can be caused to fire unintentionally (that is, without an intentional, manual trigger pull) by being dropped at a certain angle or even by giving it a firm whack on the behind.

The company has temporarily suspended shipment of the P320 from the factory while they “ramp up to implement changes” related to the condition.

Sig announced last week that they would be issuing a voluntary upgrade to the P320 to address concerns and the details of that upgrade program -which will include “an alternate design that reduces the physical weight of the trigger, sear, and striker while additionally adding a mechanical disconnector” – are now available.

The official Upgrade Program page is up on the Sig Sauer website along with instructions on how to upgrade your pistol at no cost to you. Owners of affected pistols (US domestic commercial customers) may enter their serial number on the website to begin the upgrade process and then Sig “will contact you regarding the best method for you to get your P320 pistol to them.”

Sig continues to maintain that the P320 pistol is safe in its current configuration on the “voluntary upgrade” page, saying that their “mechanical safeties are designed to augment, not replace safe handling practices. Careless and improper handling of any firearm can result in an unintentional discharge.” Take from that statement what you wish, from a company selling defensive firearms that may be used by open or concealed carry practitioners and law enforcement officers, often in the worst of situations that may include physical confrontations and attacks, sweat, blood, dirt, darkness, and other less than ideal conditions.

This reminds me of the chair lift commercials on TV that advise the old folks to avoid breaking their hips with this weird old trick… “just don’t fall!” Just don’t drop or roughly handle your pistol and you won’t accidentally get shot by it; it’s just that easy! The company continues to go on about how they included (likely legally obligated) language in the user manual that it might go off if dropped.

Although the upgrade page says that MHS pistols are not effected, regular P320 pistols and X-series pistols are effected.